about my research
My research is primarily about Data Science for the study of Global Transformations, seen through two main dimensions: (1) the geographic changes, and (2) the technological changes. Both dimensions are strongly related. I use Data Science (R, GIS, Econometrics) to study innovation, institutions, regulations and economic dynamics. More specifically, my region of interest is Europe. In fact, I study the European Union from an economic, political and financial integration perspective since its inception in 1993. Mainly, this means I study the internal integration process and challenges of Europe (ECB, SGP, European Banking Union, etc.) as well as the external challenges affecting Europe (2008 financial crisis, emerging countries, refugee crisis, etc.).
“It’s better to build our scholarship around pressing real-world problems than simply to fill little gaps in the literature.” - James Tobin, Nobel Economist
From a methodology perspective, I LOVE the kind-of new field of Data Science. I love it because it is multidisciplinary in nature, leveraging statistics with algorithms (computer science) and data (structured and unstructured). And to be in line with James Tobin’s quote above, we need at least two features to address the rising challenges of our time: open science and multidisciplinarity. The level of complexity in the world is rising as is our toolbox to answer these challenges. As scholars, we just need to step back sometimes and re-caliber our research to what is truly of essence. It can be fundamental or applied research, but it has to be of essence.
Global Transformation 1: The European Integration. From a disciplinary perspective, I started my research by studying the first global transformation I encountered as a young researcher: the European integration and its global replications. I thus venture into open macroeconomics studying the link between Macroeconomics and Game Theory (credibility models). I extended canonical credibility models to open economy. The use of Game Theory allowed me to introduce a political economy perspective. The goal was to have a framework to study the credibility of the new European Central Bank in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This framework lead me to study the optimum currency area theory as well as the endogenous optimal currency area (e-OCA) literature. One of my papers is one of the first attempts to validate the e-OCA in the context of the European economic integration. The e-OCA literature is particularly interesting when it comes to studying the dynamics of regionalization. Then, I studied some other elements of this framework: the fiscal and structural policies as key elements of a regional integration, and in particular the question of policy coordination (i.e. the Stability and Growth Pact in Europe). In terms of methodology, I have used Game Theory, Econometrics, DSGE models, and high-frequency and unstructured data (social media). I am an avid user of R. Another key element for a regional integration is financial integration. It is also related to the e-OCA theory as an important tool for integration. FDI from multinational enterprises and financial regulations for the banking sector are then very relevant.
Global Transformation 2: The 2008 Financial Crisis. The second global transformation I got interested in as a researcher is the 2008 financial crisis. At the crossroad of Finance and financial regulations lays the concept of systemic risk. Interestingly enough, traditional modern portfolio theory defines systematic and specific risks out of CAPM. In one of my papers, I augment the MPT theoretical framework by introducing asset price inflation (assumed to be one of the key elements in the 2008 financial crisis) and as a result I can add a third definition of risk: systemic risk. As a consequence, the new model justifies and calls for better financial regulations.
Global Transformation 3: The AI Paradigm Change and the global Innovation Infrastructure. This global transformation is obviously about global innovation. It is also about the architectural innovation that has impacted the world. Questions such as : who owns the new global technological infrastructure? What does it do to our societies? How does it impact firms and global value chains? What is the role of the platform architecture in This line of research is very much connected to data science. Indeed, the use of data has been even more impacted than any other transformation since data are the fuel of machine learning and AI-based models. I am here interested in the new global technological infrastructure as an architectural innovation and its impacts on international business.
Global Transformation 4: The Global Pandemic. As a “confined” researcher, I obviously got interested in using my Data Science platform to try to help in this current race against our invisible ennemy, the COVID-19 pandemic. I created one of the largest packages on the coronavirus literature, called EpiBibR. Please see here as well to have access to a publication on a bibliometric analysis of the coronavirus literature. This global challenge got me interested into using Data Science to improve global health.